Speed-changer.



PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

0. F. ROPER. SPEED CHANGER.

APPLIUATION mum N0v.17, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

' no MODEL.

n m J PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

c'. F. ROPBR. SPEED CHANGER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17. 1902.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

H0 MODEL.

Tn: nonaus PLTERS 00.. FHOTO LITHO., WASHINGTON, u c

Nl-TED TATFS Patented June 23, 1903.

ATENT rricn.

DRAPER COMPANY,OF TION OF MAINE.

HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- sPEED CHANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,503, dated June 23, 1903. Ap nmnon filed November 17, 1902. Serial No. 181,648. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. ROPER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hopedale, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Speed-Changers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like charactors on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a novel, strong, and powerful speedchanger of compact construction adapted for use with various forms of apparatus wherein difierent speeds are required in the operation thereof, such asv planers, milling machines, &c.

In the embodiment of my invention herein illustrated and described the change of speed is accompanied by no change in'the direction of rotation by the driven member, the driving member rotating at a constant speed. The means for transmitting the power and rotation from the driving to the driven member and for regulating the speed of the latter and its direction of rotation is very compact and is substantially contained within the compass of the driving member, so that every protection is afforded both to the mechanism itself and to those handling it.

The various novel and important features of my invention will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the following claim.

Figure l is a side elevation of a speedchanger embodying one form of my present invention, the controlling means being set for the high speed of the driven member. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking toward the right. Fig. 3 is a vertical section thereof on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, looking toward the left, some parts being broken out and the main and transmitter shafts and some of the gearing being shown in section. Fig. 4: is a vertical transverse sectional detail on the irregular line 4 5, Fig. 3, looking toward the left; and Fig. 5 is a similar view on the same section-line, but looking toward the right.

In Fig. 1 the part A may be a portion of the frame of a machine to which my invention is applied, and the shaft A extending therefrom, will be hereinafter designated as the driven member or member to be driven; but, as will be hereinafter explained, the functions of driven and driving members may be reversed without departing from my invention; Two separated collars 6 and 7 are pinned or'otherwise secured to the projecting portion of the shaft A and between them the driving member and other parts of the apparatus are mounted upon the shaft. Against the collar 6 the hub c of a circular disk 0 is rotatably mounted on the shaft, (see Fig. 3,) said disk havinganinturned peripheral flange c, and to the flat face of the flange an integral ring-gear H is secured, as by screw-bolts 0 this gear being in the present embodiment of my invention the high-speed controllergear and of quite large diameter. The attached flange c constitutes a circular brake member for said gear, as will appear hereinafter, the disk 0 being apertured (see Fig. 4)

to decrease its weight and to permit access to the gearing for lubrication. Adjacent the inner endof the hub 0 a gear a is secured to shaft Ad by a spline or key a said'gear forming a part of the transmitting means for effooting. rotation of the driven member.

Upon the outer end of the shaft A adjacent the' collar '7, the hub e of a wheel or brake member 6 is rotatably mounted, the hub and rim being connected by spokes or arms e, the external diameter of the rim being the same as that of the brake member 0. Inside of this hub e I have mounted rotatably upon the shaft the hub 8 of the low-speed controller-gear L, shown as an external gear of common construction and of much smaller diameter than the high-speed gear, H. The

low-speed controller-gear is rigidly connected with the brake member eby a pinc connecting their hubs, (see Fig. 3,)so thatthey will rotate together. Quite aspace isleft between the latter gear and the gear a, fast on the shaft, and in such space is interposed the hub d of the driving member, herein shown as a cone-pulley D, loosely mounted on the driven member A and having its face annularly grooved, as at d, to receive a belt or band- D Figs. 1 and 2, by which rotation is imparted to the driving member from any suitable source of power. (Not shown.)

From aninspection of Fig. 3 it will be seen that the collars 6 and 7 prevent endwise movement of the parts between them, which are mounted on the shaft A The hub and face of the driving member or pulley are connected by a disk d, and on one side of its center an elongated or sleevelike bearing d is formed upon the disk, extending on each side thereof and in parallelism with the axis of rotation of the pulley. Diametrically opposite this hearing a connterbalance d is provided to prevent irregu lar motion of the driving member by equalizing the weight of the bearing and the parts carried thereby. The bearing 01 rotatably supports a short transmitter-shaft 2%, having fast on its projecting ends pinions t' t, the former being in mesh with the internal highspeed controller-gear H and the latter meshing with the external low-speed controllergear L. Between the pinion tand the adjacent end of the bearing 01 a small-gear or pinion t is secured to the transmitter-shaft, meshing with the larger gear a, fast on the member or shaft A to be driven. It will be obvious that axial rotation of the transmitter-shaft will be transmitted through gearing t a to the shaft A to rotate it.

In Fig. 3 the pulley D is shown as recessed at to clear the pinion but if the latter were smaller or the pulley larger such recess would be unnecessary.

A shaft or rod D, parallel to the shaft A and rigidly held in the part A of the machine, Fig. 1, supports movable brake members or shoes which cooperate with the circular members c and a, respectively. Between collars 12 and 13, fast on said rod, are mounted the hubs c of oppositely-rocking arms or shoes 0 oppositely concaved at 0, Figs. 2 and 3, and having attached friction pads 0 of leather, felt, or other suitable material, to engage the circular brake member 0 on opposite sides of its center. The upper ends of the arms are inturned, as at 0 and approach each other quite closely, a sprin 8 adjustably connected at its ends with the two arms, drawing them toward each other to cooperate with the circular member cand brake or hold the controller-gear H from rotation. I have shown the opposed extremities of the arms as nicked at e for a purpose to be described. The hubs e of similar rocking arms or shoes 0 are mounted on the rod 13 between fast collars 14 15, the inner concave portions of the shoes being provided with frictionpads (not shown) to cooperate with the brake member 6', attached to the low-speed controller-gear L, and the upper ends 6 of the arms are nicked, as at-e, Fig. 3, and drawn toward each other by a spring 3 I have provided a simple device for releasing either controller-gear and at the same time holding the other one from rotation, the

held or braked controller-gear governing the speed of the shaft A To this end a bracket M, secured to the machine part A, extends above the speed-changer, Figs. 1 and 3, and a three-armed lever is fnlcrumed thereon at m the oppositely-extended arms on m of the lever extending above the upper inturned ends of the two sets of brake-shoes. The extremity of arm m'is oppositely beveled, as at m on its under side, and the extremity of arm m is correspondingly shaped at m, while to the upturned arm on of the lever a link m is pivotally connected, said link having a slot m at its opposite end to be entered by a fixed guide-pin m Fig. 1. As shown, the three-armed lever is in such position that the beveled end m of arm m is interposed between the opposed ends of the brake members e separating them against the stress of the setting-spring 3 while the spring 5 is acting to draw the members 0 toward each other, braking the circular member 0 and holding the controller gear H from. rotation. At such time the opposite corners of the beveled end of arm m enter the nicks e and prevent accidental disengagement from the inturned ends 6 of the brake-shoes.

Supposing that the driving memberD is rotated in the direction of arrow 30, Figs. 2, 4: and 5, it will be obvious that the transmittershaft I? will be bodily moved in the same direction; but as the high-speed controller-gear H is held fast the pinion t in mesh therewith will cause axial rotation of the transmittershaft and the gear or pinion t in the direction of arrow 32 at a relatively high speed, bodily and axial rotation being in opposite directions. The gear a will accordingly be rotated in the direction of arrow 33, and likewise the shaft A so that high-speed rotation of the latter will be in the direction of the arrow or that of the driving member. If the link m is moved to the left, Fig. 1, to rock the three-armed lever and withdraw the beveled end or separator m from cooperation with the brake-shoes 6 the circular member 6' will be immediately braked,'and with it the low-speed controller-gear L, while the separator m will act upon the shoes 0 and release the high-speed controller-gear H. Then still supposing that the driving member rotates in direction of arrow 30 the transmitter-shaft t will be moved bodily in the same direction as before; but the pinion i will travel around the external gear L and will be axially rotated oppositely to arrow 32 and at a relatively low speed, because of the slight difference in diameter of the said gear and the pinion i, the axial rotation of shaft 25 being similar to its direction of bodily rotation around the shaft A Such rotation will be transmitted through the gearing t and Ct to the shaft A and the latter will be rotated in the direction of arrow 33, so that whether the high or the low speed is in use the direction of rotation of the driven member is unchanged. If, however, the gear 25 should be made larger than the gear a or just the reverse of the construction herein shown, a change from high to low speed, or vice versa, would be. accompanied by a change in the direction of rotation of the driven member A By moving the belt or band D along the cone face of the driving member its speed may be changed in well-known manner and there will be a corresponding relative change in the speed of the driven member.

Manifestly the driving and driven members would preferably be the pulley D and shaft A as hereinbefore considered; but if for any reason it should be desired to drive the shaft A the mechanism herein shown would transmit rotation to the pulley D, the latter then becoming the driven member. In such case, however, when the controller-gear His braked the low speed of the member D would be eifected, while the higher speed would be effected through braking of the controllergear L, just the reverse of the operation hereinbefore described.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

ley and in mesh respectively with the controllergears, and means to set the brake-shoe of one controller-gear and release the other, to determine the speed of rotation of the shaft, the non-rotating controller-gear governing rotation of the shaft by the pulley.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. ROPER.

Witnesses:

FRANK J. DUTCHER, O.H. DRAPER. 

